Method of manufacturing uppers for footwear of the sandal type, and to uppers produced by such method

ABSTRACT

A METHOD OF MAKING THE UPPERS OF SANDALS IN A MANNER PERMITTING VARIATION IN THE CHOICE OF MATERIALS AND DESIGNS TO MEET CHANGES IN STYLE AND FASHION.

Jan. 12, 1971 N. J. MENDELSOHN METHOD OF MANUFACTURING UPPERS FOR FOOTWEAR OF THE SANDAL TYPE, AND TO UPPERS PRODUCED BY SUCH METHOD Filed Oct. 8, 1968 F'ICMS.

EWC14- I/vmw raw nmsaaer Jul/ill Mam many/v United States Patent US. Cl. 12-142 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method of making the uppers of sandals in a manner permitting variation in the choice of materials and designs to meet changes in style and fashion.

This invention relates to a sandal or like article of footwear. It relates in particular to sandals comprising soles and uppers detachable from the soles, the uppers having thong-like formations with heads for engaging with recesses in the soles.

In conventional sandals known to the applicant, the uppers are moulded. The moulds for such moulding are expensive. It is, therefore, difiicult and expensive to vary the designs, styles, and/or configuration of the uppers of the sandals, to satisfy fashion demands, without having a wide variety of expensive moulds.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide uppers for sandals or like articles of footwear, in a variety of styles, designs and/or configurations, at relatively little cost.

According to the invention, there is provided a method of making a sandal upper which includes providing thonglike parts having a plurality of ends, and of then securing headed formations onto the said ends, the said formations being receivable into recesses in a sole.

The securing of the headed formations may include the mechanical crimping of heads onto the ends of the thonglike parts. Alternatively, the headed formations may be moulded onto the ends of the thong-like parts. In doing this, the material of the headed formations and of the upper will be chosen so that they are compatible with each other.

The invention extends also to a sandal upper when made in accordance with the methods described.

The invention extends further to a sandal, which includes the combination of a sole with a sandal upper as described.

The invention extends further to a method of making a sandal, which includes the steps of making a sandal upper by providing thong-like parts having a plurality of ends, of providing a sole having spaced openings to receive the ends of the upper, of threading the said ends through the sole, and of then securing headed formations to the said ends.

The securing of headed formations may include the mechanical crimping of heads onto the ends of the thonglike parts. Alternatively, the securing of the headed formations to the said ends, may be obtained by moulding heads onto the ends of the thong-like parts.

The invention extends also to a sandal when made in accordance with the method described.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows an outside side elevation of a crimping head poised in position ready for crimping;

Patented Jan. 12, 1971 FIG. 2 shows an outside side elevation in which the head has already been mechanically crimped onto the end of a throng-like member;

FIG. 3 shows a sectional side elevation of the arrangement where a headed element is being moulded onto the end of a thong-like member; and

FIG. 4 shows an outside plan view of a sandal having an upper in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawings, reference numeral 10 refers to a sole having an opening 12, adapted to receive the end of a thong-like member 14 therethrough. Reference numeral 16 refers to a mechanically crimpable head having tongue formations 17 for gripping the end of the thong-like member as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. The sole is further provided with a countersunk or counter-bored or recessed portion 18, adapted to receive the headed member. The tongues 17 are mechanically crimped onto the end of the thong-like member 14.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawings, reference numeral 20 refers to a pair of dies, defining a mould cavity within which a mouldable material may be injected via the passage 22. In use, the end of a thonglike member will be passed into the mould cavity. Thereupon, mouldable material will be injected into the mould cavity so that a headed formation 24 is formed around the end of the thong-like member. It will be noticed that the dies are in two parts, so that they may be withdrawn from each other, to disengage the headed formation, by withdrawing them in opposite directions in a direction transversely to the axis of the thong-like member.

Referring to FIG. 4 of the drawings, there is shown a sandal 26 which comprises a sole 28, and an upper 30. The upper comprises thong-like members 32 whose ends have been threaded through the openings 34 in the sole. The headed formations on the ends of the thong-like members, engage with the underside of the sole and are located in recesses 18 provided on. the underside of the sole. The sole may conveniently be of a resilient spongelike material. The thong-like members are intertwined and are decorated by a decorative disc 36 where the thong-like members cross over.

Although the securing of the headed formations is shown taking place when the ends of the thong-like members have been threaded through the openings in the sole, such securing can, of course, take place without the ends of the thongs having been threaded through. The thongs will then be threaded with the headed members already secured to the end of the thongs.

It is an advantage of this invention that uppers of various materials, of patterns, of colours, and the like, may be used, thereby offering a range of styles and patterns much wider in scope than was possible heretofore.

What I claim is:

1. A method of making a sandal upper which includes providing thong-like parts having a plurality of ends, and of thereafter securing headed formations around the said ends, the said formations being receivable into recesses in a sole.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the securing of the headed formations includes the mechanical crimping of heads around the ends of the thong-like parts.

3. A method of making a sandal, which includes the steps of making a sandal upper by providing thong-like parts having a plurality of ends, of providing a sole having spaced openings to receive the ends of the upper, of threading the said ends through the sole, and of then securing headed formations around the said ends.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the securing of the headed formations includes moulding them around the ends of the thong-like parts. i

5. A method of making a sandal, which includes the steps of making a sandal upper by providing thong-like parts having a plurality of ends, of providing a sole having spaced openings to receive the ends of the upper, of threading the said ends through the sole, and of then mechanically crimping headed formations onto the ends of the thong-like parts.

6. A method of making a sandal, which includes the steps of making a sandal upper by providing thong-like parts having a plurality of ends, of providing a sole having spaced openings to receive the ends of the upper, of threading the said ends through the sole, and of then moulding heads onto the ends of the thong-like parts.

7. A sandal upper which includes thong-like parts having a plurality of ends, and headed formations having a plurality of teeth gripping the said ends of the thong-like parts, the teeth being circumferentially spaced around the said ends.

8. A sandal upper which includes thong-like parts made up of strands, the said thong-like parts having a plurality of ends and headed formations in the form of mouldings around the said ends of the thong-like parts.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,153,968 4/1939 Loufbahn 36-115 2,732,634 1/1956 Lipton 36-115 2,773,317 12/1956 Helle 36-115 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,123,783 9/1956 France 36-115 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

